Florida the rules are different here Chapter XV

The town of Ocean Ridge(Population 1631) has two city council seats up in spring elections. Incumbents were running, but no one is opposing them.

This happens with Congress and State legislature all the time. Wouldn't you think someone in such a small town would want to run? I guess no one is interested in town business. Ocean Ridge may die of apathy one day but will anyone care?

Open Post- Adam's Blog, Bright & Early, Right Wing Nation,

Ocean Ridge will not have elections this spring for the first time since 2001 after the town's filing period ended at 3 p.m. Monday and no one challenged the incumbents.

Two seats on the five-member Town Commission were open, but Mayor Ken Kaleel, 45, and Vice Mayor Geoff Pugh, 43, automatically won new three-year terms.

Political observers say there are a variety of reasons why residents choose not to run against incumbents, such as complacency or apathy.

Most likely, however, said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause Florida, a Tallahassee-based government watchdog group, is that residents are intimidated.

"The most realistic situation could be is that potential challengers don't see the possibility of winning due to the campaign war chests that the incumbents build up," Wilcox said.

Town Clerk Karen E. Hancsak has her own explanation: "Maybe they're satisfied with the two commissioners that are in office."

Hancsak held out the possibility of a challenger until the last day because sitting Commissioner Nancy Hogan registered on the last day last year.

Kaleel, a lawyer at Kaleel & Crozier, has been on the commission for 10 years and has lived in the town since 1990. He decided to run for re-election to oversee some projects to completion and to have a voice in issues facing the town in the near future, he said.

"We're running toward the end of the drainage program, and the new Town Hall is the focus. ... I've seen and implemented a lot of changes happing today. I'm proud of those changes," he said.

Pugh, in the pool construction business, is an 11-year resident finishing his first term.

"It takes at least three years just to figure out what the heck you're doing up there," Pugh said.